Base for highway flares



July 28, 1936. G J, J CLARK 2,049,407

BASE FOR HIGHWAY FLARES Filed 001;. 24, 1935 lnvenror.

George U.U.CIQPK yMMi W Afiys.

Patented July 28, 1936 BASE FOR HIGHWAY FLARES George J. J. Clark, Whitman, Mass, assignor to National Fireworks, Inc., West Hanover, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application October '24, 1935, Serial No. 46,509

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bases for highway flares, and the object thereof is to provide a simple and convenient device which can be placed upon a concrete or macadam roadbed and which will efiectively support a flare, such as a fusee, in proper position to burn readily and which will prevent guttering of the casing of the flare.

Laws have been passed in certain States and municipalities requiring public conveyances, such as bus companies, truck lines, etc., to equip their vehicles with flares, such as railroad fusees, or the like, which must be lighted when the vehicle is stopped enroute for the purpose of making repairs, changing tires, etc., to safeguard the vehicle against collision while it is stopped. Inasmuch as the greater part of the road-bed over which such vehicles operate are of concrete or macadam construction it is impossible to embed the spike oiv a usual railroad fusee into the roadbed at a proper position to provide a signal, or to enable light from the burning flare to give proper illumination to the part of the vehicle whic .is being repaired.

More specifically the object of the inventionis to provide a base for a highway flare so constructed that it can be readily collapsed and stored ina relatively small space and whichwhen expanded can be placed upon the road-bed to sup port the flare in a proper manner to enable it to burn throughout its length without hindrance and without guttering. 1 a

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a base for highway flares in extended position showing the flar supported thereby in dotted lines; a

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1 partially broken away showing the flare in collapsed position;

Fig. 3 is an underneath plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1 illustrating the foot members of the device in divergent position, the foot members and flare being partially broken away; and,

Fig. 4 is an underneath plan View of the socket member showing in dotted lines the foot members in extended positions and particularly illustrating a stop lug adapted to limit the movement of the foot members to either extended position or superimposed position.

The base for highway flares illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprises a flare-holding socket having a flat bottom I and. flare-supporting means extending upwardly in angularly in- .clined relation to said bottom. The flare-supporting means preferably comprises a tubular wall 2 integral with and extending upwardly from the base member I in axially inclined relation thereto. The socket preferably is of cylindrical 5 form adapted to receive a flare 3, such as a railway signal fusee, having no spike at its lower end, or other suitable pyrotechnical device. The under side of the bottom I desirably is provided with a channel 4 having vertical walls 5 and 6 and a fiat metallic bar 1, preferably of a thickness equal to the height of the walls 5 and 6 of the channel, fits in said channel and extends therethrough to provide long and narrow foot sections 8 and 9.

Another complementary foot member, preferably in the form of a. flat metal bar I0, is pivotally secured to the bottom I by a rivet l l which extends through the bottom and also through the stationary foot member 1 and the movable foot member ID. The foot member In desirably is of the same length as the foot member 1 and has 1 sections I2 and [3 extending from said pivot distances respectively equal to the length of the sections 8 and 9 of the member I.

By reason of this construction the foot members I and I0 may be spread to diverging positions, as illustrated in Fig. 1, or folded to a position in which the movable foot member ID will underlie the foot member 1, thereby placing them in superimposed or collapsed position in which the device can be readily stored in a relatively small space.

The channel 4 is disposed in such angular relation to the vertical plane XX Fig. 3 of the inclined axis of the tubular flare-supporting socket that when the foot members are in divergent positions the foot members will diverge at substantially equal and symmetrical angles from the vertical plane of the inclined axis of the socket, so that the flare will be supported substantially centrally of the angular area between the longer foot sections when in extended position, illustrated in Fig. 1.

Desirably means are provided for limiting the relative movement of the foot members to such position that the flare will be thus supported substantially centrally of the area between the long sections of the diverging foot members. This is conveniently accomplished by providing the base with a downwardly extending lug l4 having a vertical shoulder l5 adapted to be engaged by an edge of the pivotally mounted foot member when in extended or divergent position, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. Said lug desirably is v! axially inclined to its bottom, it is to be understoodthatthesooket may be of skeletonizedon-of any other desirableform properly to receive the bottom of the flare. It will also be understood that other means may be provided for limiting the relative movement of the foot nembers, such one of the foot members adaptedto engage the members is assumed or when the membersia're superimposed as aforesaid W It will therefore be understood that the particular embodiment of the invention shown here-'- in-is of ,an illustrative character and is not re- :strict'live oi the meaning and scope of the foll'o-wi s l ims ,o e. t

Having thus described the invention,*what is claimed as new, and desired to; be seure'djby Letters Patent, is; 1 W V I fl; ,A base for "highway flares comprising a flare holdingjsock et having a bottom and an int ra tu a wa i n e s d i' r f l r in l n d a a re ation i? said tt sa bottom beingspro-vided on its under side with achannel, a stationary narrow flat foot'mmber 'of "ibs tantial length extending through said. annllfa second flat foot member of subSt'an; tiia'l length secured to said: bottom by a pivot'e'irtending #031 said bottom through both of said foot inembers, 1 whereby a said '-relatively movable foo-t, fine'nibeifs may be folded into superimposed position or :divergently spread in such manner itl' fitfa flare inserted in said socket will be'fheld infinlc ed positionover the angularj area 'betwee s'aid'diverging footmembers; E 2-.e ase fq hiehway fla e fl ff er hq inefiq t h v n Qfi Qm and e l 51 I tubular wall extending upwardly inangular inlm d ex e ir fi i a d b m a do dt i being provided onits under side with a channel extending in ,afipredetermined angular 'relation ito fthe verticalplaneof 'the axis off jsa-id fsockeft, a "Stationary-narrow flat Floot mernber a: sub- 'st a'ntial, -le ngth" extending through said sham nel,:"ajgsecon d fiat footym'ember of substantial 'len'gthsecured to said bottom by a pivoteiitending from said bottom throughboth of Sa-id'jioot member's, whereby said relatively novable foot members rnay be folded into superimposed position or 'di-vergently. spread insuch manner that 'a f lare;inserted in said socket will be held in in clined position over, the angular area between other when proper angular relation o'i th' foo't' said diverging foot members, and means for limiting the movement of said movable foot member to a position in which its angular divergence from the vertical plane of the inclined axis of said socket will be substantially symmetrical to that of the other foot member.

3. A base for highway flares comprising a flarehold-ing'socket having a bottom and a-n integral tubular Wall ektnding upwardly in angular inclined axial relation to said bottom, said bottom 'being provided on its under side with a channel s H gxtengiingin a predetermined angular relation as by a projection or projections extending-atom to theverti'cal plane of the axis of said socket, a

- stationary narrow flat foot member of substan- 'al 1-ln gth extending through said channel, a

- isimilar ifiat tfoot ;-member of substantial length ,secured to said bottom by a pivot extending from -"said bottom through-both of said foot members, whereby said relatively movable foot members maybe folded into superimposed positionor divs gently s rea sas manner that 1 aflare said socket will befheld 1n inclined 1 rid a l ug projecting from diverging n'iovement of H v mein'berto afpos'ition -in which its aifg-ular'diverge'nce from the vertical plane of the axis of said inclined socket will be siib stands 'syfriinetr'idal to the angularfdivergen e of the? ei yroqt mem er therefrom. V j 7 4; A-baserorhighwaynarscbmpmsmg a flareliolding s'ocketha' ving a bottom and an integral tubula'rfwall eit-tending upward y in angular inaimed axis lationfto"saidbottom, said bottom being' p ovided on its under-"side with afchannel emenemg'ina prede ermine angular relation 'to' the vertical plane or "the axis 0f s a-id socket,

s't'a; Onar armwr iflatioot member "of substantiaL'dengthextendingfthrough said channel, afsimilar flat foot' himbrof substantial length securedto'saidbottom by pivot extending "from '%bs1;tm ghboth (if-Said foot inein'b'er's, whereby said rn'ovabl' 'foot' members y be folded into superimposed position 'or divergentl y s'prad mfi ioh ""anher that 'a flare inserted in said socket "ill n held ininclinedposi-tionover between -"s'aid diverging foot projeiting from saidbottom thedi'i er'gmQ moVement ofsaid {inovable f-oot m t tq;a pos on in which its sti ma; divergence from the v'er-tical plane of th'e axis of said inclined a socket will be v substantially symrrietrieal to e-' 'angu1ar divergence, ofjthe other foot'i'riember therefrom, and a so limiting the closing 'mave gnt'qr {saidmovable foot member t'o a posit-ion m t is -"sup eri mpo'sed over 

